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Latin America has world’s highest rate of female researchers

Montevideo, Nov 12 (EFE).- Forty-five percent of the scientific researchers in Latin America are women, the highest for any region of the world, the head of the Science Policy and Sustainable Development Division of Unesco, Lidia Brito, said Wednesday.

During a speech in Montevideo at the “Ecosystems of Innovation in Latin America: policies, institutions and impact,” which is being held through Friday at the Spanish Training and Cooperation Center in Uruguay, Brito provided various figures regarding the region’s research and development situation.

Brazil and Mexico produce 30 percent of the new science Ph.D. holders in the region, she said, adding that 45 percent of the scientific researchers in the region are women.

Ninety percent of R&D investment is concentrated in four countries – Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico – but Brazil has 60 percent of that funding, according to the latest “Science Report” produced by Unesco.

“It’s important to recognize that it’s a region that’s growing but where there’s still much to do,” Brito said.

Countries like Mexico and Argentina “are positioning themselves very well” and are standing out on the international level, but Brazil is the country that is the truly significant player in R&D, according to Brito